Acupuncture
and Reproductive Health
Current
statistics state that one in five couples over the age of 30 have
difficulty conceiving after one year of trying. Many of these
couples are turning to acupuncture and Oriental medicine for a safe,
effective and natural solution to have a healthy
baby.
Oriental medicine has a long history when it comes
to enhancing fertility for both men and women. In fact, evidence
that acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used to aid fertility
can be found in early medical literature dating back to
3AD.
Fertility treatments were first recorded by Zhang Zhong
Jing, a famous physician from the Han Dynasty, in his discussion of
diseases in women in the Jin Gui Yao Lue or Essentials of
the Golden Cabinet.
How Acupuncture Can Enhance
Fertility
According to the principles of Oriental
medicine, a person's health is determined by the quality of
Qi, the vital life energy, and blood circulating through the
body. When Qi and blood are circulating properly, the body is
properly nourished and functioning optimally which, in turn,
enhances fertility.
Researchers have confirmed its benefit
in the following areas:
1. Regulate menstrual
cycle.
2. Improve sperm count and motility.
3. Reduce stress
and anxiety associated with infertility.
4. Normalize hormone and
endocrine systems.
5. Improve blood flow in the uterus.
6.
Decrease chance of miscarriage.
7. Increase the chance of
pregnancy for women undergoing in vitro fertilization
(IVF).
Fertility treatments vary from person to person, but
are usually scheduled for at least three consecutive cycles (twelve
weeks). Treatments can include acupuncture, customized herbal
therapy, stress reduction and dietary counseling. Treatments work
alone but are an excellent addition to any Western
intervention.
Please call for more information of to
schedule a consultation.
Acupuncture
Increases IVF Success by 65%
Women undergoing IVF were 65 percent
more likely to become pregnant when they combined the procedure with
acupuncture, a recent study has shown.
The remarkable
success rate occurred across seven acupuncture trials involving
1,366 women in a systematic review and meta-analysis published in a
February, 2008 issue of the British Medical
Journal.
Acupuncture was delivered either just before or
just after embryo transfer – a step in the process of in vitro
fertilization (IVF) whereby one or several embryos are placed into
the uterus.
The research was carried out by scientists from
the University of Maryland in the United States and the VU
University of Amsterdam in Holland.
It is thought that
acupuncture stimulates the neurotransmitters that trigger the
production of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, which controls the
menstrual cycle and a woman's ovulation.
Acupuncture is also
thought to stimulate blood flow to the uterus and boost the
production of endogenous opioids, inducing the body to
relax.
Source: British Medical Journal, February
2008
Acupuncture
Improves Sperm Quality
A study published in the July 2005
issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility found that
acupuncture helped infertile men by apparently helping improve sperm
quality in their semen.
In the research project, 28 men
received acupuncture in addition to traditional infertility
treatments, while another 12 men received only the traditional
treatments. All of the men were diagnosed with infertility of
unknown origin.
Acupuncture was associated with fewer
structural defects in the sperm of men who received it, although it
had no effect on other abnormalities, such as sperm immaturity or
premature death.
Previous studies have shown a link between
acupuncture and improved sperm production and
motility.
Source: Fertility and Sterility, July
2005
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In
This Issue
- Acupuncture and Reproductive Health
- Acupuncture Increases IVF Success by 65%
- Acupuncture Improves Sperm Quality
- Foods for Fertility
Foods
for Fertility
"Your body
is like a garden... As in all gardens, the seed we hope to plant in
our bodies grows best when we cultivate the ground and plant and
nurture the seed in harmony with the laws of nature. You wouldn't
put a tender plant in clay soil without first tilling and amending
the earth - at least not if you wanted to give that plant its best
start. You wouldn't plant in the dead of winter, or in the dry
season without water, or in a sunless place. Likewise, if we tend
our bodies, minds, and spirits with an awareness of the laws of
nature, we improve our chances of welcoming the gifts of Quan Yin,
the fertility goddess." Angela Wu, L.Ac., author of Fertility
Wisdom.Black BeansAccording to Oriental
medicine, the energy of the Kidney system is important for
reproduction and fertility enhancement often starts with the
Kidneys. A good example of a food that nourishes the Kidneys and
promotes fertility is black beans. Health Benefits of
Black BeansFrom an Eastern perspective, black beans are
warming in nature. They are thought to tonify the Kidney Qi and
nourish Yin and Blood. From a Western perspective, black
beans are an excellent source of protein, folate, iron and fiber and
are rich in antioxidants. Loaded with
AntioxidantsResearch published in the Journal of
Agriculture and Food Chemistry indicates that black beans are as
rich in antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins as grapes and
cranberries, fruits long considered antioxidant
superstars. When researchers analyzed different types of
beans, they found that, the darker the bean's seed coat, the higher
its level of antioxidant activity. Gram for gram, black beans were
found to have the most antioxidant activity, followed in descending
order by red, brown, yellow, and white beans. Overall, the
level of antioxidants found in black beans in this study is
approximately 10 times that found in an equivalent amount of
oranges, and comparable to that found in an equivalent amount of
grapes or cranberries. Source: Journal of Agriculture and
Food Chemistry, November 2003 |
